Sunday, December 23, 2012

Read my What?

Trying to “read” whether a person’s intense emotion is
positive or negative? Studies (Princeton U, NY U, Radboud U, Hebrew U) suggest you
read the body language. Facial expressions among people undergoing
fleeting peaks of intense pain, joy, grief, or anger look surprisingly similar.
In fact, when you compare extreme pain to extreme pleasure, it’s difficult to
tell them apart by facial expressions alone. Even expressions on the faces of
winning athletes may not express a “positive” emotion, rather a sign of competitive
dominance. The body never lies, however. More information and often more
accurate information is revealed through body language. It
may be more like “read my hips” than “read my lips.” When you’re trying to
figure out whether a person is exhibiting intense positive versus negative
emotion, get in the habit of looking at: (1) what's happening in the environment,
(2) the person’s body language, (30) the face.